Roof structure with stationary and moveable sheathed sections

ABSTRACT

A truss supported roof structure in substantially completed form in which a portion of the upper end thereof is hinged and provided with adjustable supporting means whereby said hinged portion may be adjusted to a lowered position for shipment and raised to final position at the erection site.

United States Patent Perry Oct. 31, 1972 [54] ROOF STRUCTURE WITHSTATIONARY AND MOVEABLE SHEATI-IED SECTIONS [72] Inventor: Elmer W.Perry, 31 Fawn Lane,

Watchung, NJ. 07060 [22] Filed: March 2, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 15,325

[52] US. Cl. ..52/71, 52/641, 52/643 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04b 7/16 [58]Field of Search ..52/7l, 639-643, 52/127, 64, 745

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,115,615 4/1938 Brunner..52/79 2,762,084 9/ 1 956 Singer ..52/64 3,404,496 10/ 1 968 Ballard..52/641 2,564,691 8/ 1 951 Heiles ..52/641 3,485 ,346 12/1969 Ballard..52/641 1,232,168 7/1917 Aronson ..52/641 2,604,060 7/1952 Hansen..52/643 2,642,825 6/1953 McEihone ..52/641 553,903 2/1896 Duvinage..52/639 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 634,108 l/l962 Canada ..52/642155,462 12/1921 Great Britain ..52/64l 20,234 1 H1912 France ..52/64l1,191,121 10/1959 France ..52/639 130,357 2/ 1929 Switzerland ..52/640OTHER PUBLICATIONS Packaged Trussed-Rafters Oct. 1956, page 272, Houseand Home Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant ExaminerLeslie A.Braun Attorney-Melford F. Tietze [57] ABSTRACT A truss supported roofstructure in substantially completed form in which a portion of theupper end thereof is hinged and provided with adjustable supportingmeans whereby said hinged portion may be adjusted to a lowered positionfor shipment and raised to final position at the erection site.

6Cla1ns,9DrawlngFigures PZI'ENTEUom: m: 3.701. 225

SHEET 1 BF 2 FIG. 1

INVENTOR ELMER W PERRY ATTORN PATENTEDncm I972 3701; 225 snmznrz 46 FIG.4

INVENTOR ELMER W. PERRY ATTORNE ROOF STRUCTURE WITH STATIONARY ANDMOVEABLE SHEATHED SECTIONS The invention is particularly related tomanufactured structures of modular design which are transported from theplace of manufacture to the erection site. Generally two or more modularunits are joined to form the finished structure. With the drastic risesin cost of material and labor such methods of construction are ofincreasing importance and rapidly becoming widespread. Accompanying thisgrowth has been a demand for greater flexiblity in the design andarrangement of the fabricated units so as to afford as nearly aspossible the advantages of custom on-site construction. Accordingly manyof the fabricated units heretofore available are not satisfactory indesign or construction to meet these new and increasing needs.

Examples of limitations that have heretofore inhibited the acceptance offabricated modular construction are the restrictions as to width andheight of shippable units. Regulations and ordinances governingtransport via overland routes impose dimensional limitations. Thus forexample the roof pitch of typical units has generally beencharacteristically substantially lower than the more asthetic steeperpitch of a conventional custom built structure, or employed lowerinterior ceiling heights and/or narrower units in order to stay withinheight restrictions. Some designs have responded to the drawback by theuse of roof sections that may be lowered during transport and raised atthe erection site. But such designs themselves have frequently incurredother disadvantages. For example typical roof structures of this kindcannot be substantially completely sheathed or shingled prior toshipment due to the adjustable construction; nor do they provide anysuch adjustable roof section in a true truss structure which will affordsubstantial savings of material without detracting from structuralstrength.

In a truss construction a bottom chord constituting a main tensionmember extends between the bearing points on either side of the span tobe covered and top chords, constituting main compression members, extenddiagonally inwardly from either end of the bottom chords are connectedby one or more web members that form a triangular pattern with the topand bottom chords that produce the so called truss action. Suchtriangular pattern may be repeated using an appropriate number ofvertically extending webs depending upon the length of the span. Aninherent advantage in such roof construction is that the diagonal toptruss chords may be of substantially smaller cross-section than acomparable rafter and under most structural codes, spaced at greaterintervals. Substantial savings of material can thus be realized. Trussspans also afford greater flexibility in interior design by warrant oftheir inherent freedom from the requirement for intermediate loadbearing walls and the like. Thus interior partitions may be designed andarranged at the will of the architect rather than to provide neededstructural support. However, by warrant of the fixed nature of trusselements it has not been possible heretofore to provide a truss supportfor roofs with vertical adjustability and which therefore has thecapability for raising or lowering for shipment without the drawbacksheretofore described.

An object of this invention is to provide a truss type roof forfabricated structures in which a portion of the roof is verticallyadjustable relative to a fixed portion thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a roof constructionfor modular units to be transported to erection sites in which thesheathing and shingles may be substantially completely applied prior totransport.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a roof constructionin which the lower portion is fixedly supported by spaced truss framesand in which the upper portion is supported on rafters hinged at thepeaks of the truss frames to permit the adjustable portion alternativelyto be lowered to or below the level of the peaks of the trusses orraised into alignment with the lower roof portion.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such aconstruction where support means connected with the adjustable portionof the roof is retractable in one position to allow said roof portion tobe lowered and is engageable in a second position with positioning meansto support said roof portion in its extended final position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pivoted memberfor each of said support means and means extending transversely of andconnecting said support members to render them operable in unison.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means engageablewith said pivot support means in the lowered position of said adjustableroof portion to support said roof portion in substantially horizontalposition.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description of an advantageous embodiment taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structure having two joinedmodular units and illustrating the manner in which they would bearranged;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view showing the upper portion of a modularstructure unit having a truss roof construction according to the presentinvention and showing in dotted lines the assembly of a second similarmodular unit assembled therewith;

FIG. 3 is a partial elevation of the structure in FIG. 2 showing theadjustable roof portion in a lowered position;

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the roof construction of FIG. 2substantially along the line 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial side view showing a modified version of theconstruction seen in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the hinge construction of theadjustable roof portion;

FIG. 7 is a partial side elevation of an alternate form of theconstruction seen in FIG. 3 in which the roof sheathing abuts but doesnot overlay the joint between the fixed and adjustable roof portions;

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate arrangement of the hinge member; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the peak member used to join theabutting roof portions of adjacent nodular units.

Referring now to the drawings in FIG. 1, the numeral 10 designates aprefab building consisting of two modular units 12 and 14. In practicethe units are fabricated at a manufacturing plant and shipped to theconstruction site where they are joined along their abutting sides 16.Various well known means may be employed to secure the units inassembled position. Additional units may be assembled endwise. The gableend closures l8 and 20 are inserted at the time of erection andgenerally used only to enclose the roof openings at the ends of theterminal units that are assembled. The roof formed by the assembledunits 12 and 14 has a pitch preferable in the order of 3.5 to 12 orgreater which is normally desired to permit standard roof shingleapplication and standard appearance. In conjunction with the maximumpermissible modular widths however that are normally permissible foroverland shipment (in the order of 12 feet in most states and 14 feet insome); and with a standard ceiling height of about 8 feet, the overallheight of the units exceeds the limit normally permitted for shipment.According to the present invention the roof structure of the modularunits is adjustable to permit a portion of the roof to be lowered duringshipment.

Referring to FIGS, 2-4 of the drawing, the vertical side walls of unit12 are shown at 22 and 24, the horizontal ceiling joists are shown at26. The roof structure comprises a series of spaced truss frames inwhich the joists 26 comprise the bottom chords. Members 280 comprise topchords which join at the peak with chords 30 and vertically extendingweb struts 32. Rafter elements 28b are hinged at the peaks of thetrusses as by the hinges 34 which may be fastened on the confrontingfaces of the rafter 28b and chord 30.

Alternative hinge arrangements for the rafters 28b may be employed. Forexample, the hinges 34 may be disposed as shown in FIG. 8 with theleaves of the hinge being fixed respectively to the truss chords 28a andthe rafters 28b. Generally speaking, the abutting faces 28c areadvantageously at or closely approximating the horizontal plane toenhance the load bearing quality of these faces.

It will be understood that the term hinge" as herein employed need notnecessarily be limited exclusively to the conventional hinge devicehaving a pair of hinge plates rotatable about a pin axis as shown in thedrawings. Rather the term "hinge" may include any form of angularlyadjustable connection between the rotatable members which will hold themin desired alignment while permitting angular rotation. Thus forexample, a flexible plate whose opposite end portions are secured to therespective members 280 and 28b may be employed in place of the hingedevice shown in FIG. 8. In this instance the flexible plate can be madeto allow sufficient rotation and will serve satisfactorily since thehinge connection need operate to permit rotation only a relatively fewtimes.

Supporting means, such as a pair of struts 36 (see FIG. 4), are hingedlysecured by a pin 38 to the upper ends of the rafters 28b. The lower endsof the struts 36 are fastened in place by a removable bolt 40 and reston pillow blocks 42 and against positioning block 44 on either side ofthe horizontal joints 26 which insure that the rafters 28b are inalignment with the truss members 280 when the struts are seatedthereagainst.

In this construction the roof sheathing may be completely applied priorto shipment. As seen in FIG. 2

sheathing 46 is secured to the upper adjustable rafters 28b. Preferablythe sheathing 46 extends downwardly past the abutting interface 280 ofthe rafter members 28b and the truss member 280. The overlapped portionmay be nailed to the truss members when the unit is to be erected tothereby afford increased strength. However, the sheathing can if desiredextend only to the line of the joint as shown in FIG. 7. Sheathing 48 issecured to the fixed rafter-truss elements 28a. In addition roofshingling may be substantially completely applied over the sheathing.However to accommodate the displacement of the sheathing 46 one or twocourses of the shingling adjacent the line of abutment of the sheathing46 and 48 are omitted and applied at the time of erection.

It is normally desirable to have the side walls 22 and 24 spaced themaximum distance allowed for transportation. Accordingly, the ends ofthe rafters 28b may not project beyond the wall 24. Therefore the upwardangular rotation of the rafter elements 28b will result in their endsbeing laterally displaced slightly inward from the center line of theassembled units. To fill the gap thus left at the peak of the assembledroof and to join the roof portions of the adjacent units a removablepeak section 50 is provided. The peak section may comprise cross-pieces52 covered with sheathing 54 as seen in FIG. 9. The sheathing 54projects outwardly beyond the cross-pieces and seats along the edges offrame members 55 which extend transversely of the rafter members and aresecured to the ends of the rafters 2815. By warrant of the truss type ofconstruction the roof structure of each modular unit is self sufficientand the rigidity and strength of the assembled roof is not dependentupon the peak segment between the adjacent units. The peak segment 50may be fastened to the respective roof structures in any suitablefashion. For example the projecting edges of sheathing 54 may simply benailed to the frame members 55 on which they lie. Bolts or other meansthrough the adjacent beams 56 may be used to secure the adjacent modularunits in assembled ration.

Where it may not be required to have the side walls 22 and 24 spaced themaximum distance allowable, the rafters 28b may project beyond the sidewall 24. This is illustrated in the dotted line extension 28b in FIG. 7.In such an arrangement the ends of the rafters 28b are preferablychamfered so that cross frame member 55 will be on an angle such asshown at 55" in FIG. 7. When the rafters 28b are rotated to the elevatedposition as shown by the dotted line position of the rafters 2811' theend piece 55" will be substantially in a vertical plane so as to beplaced flush against the corresponding member 55" of the adjacentmodule. In such arrangement of course the adjacent roof sections joindirectly at the peak of the assembled structure and it is not necessaryto provide a removable peak such as 50.

The pivoted construction of the rafter members 281; may best be seen inFIGS. 3, 4 and 7. To rotate the upper portion of the roof downwardlyabout the hinges 34, the pins 40 of the vertical struts 36 are withdrawnand the lower ends of the struts rotated inwardly about their upper pins38. In the structure of FIG. 4 a crosspiece 60 extends between thestruts and is adapted to bear against a stop block 62 when the rafter28b has been lowered substantially to its horizontal position.

This is a shipping position of the unit. It may be noted for examplethat with the sheathing extending across the joint 28c any furtherlowering of the rafters 28b below the horizontal would rotate theoverlapping end of sheath 46 to increase rather than decrease thevertical dimension. Thus in such construction the horizontal position ofthe roof portion 28b represents the minimum height for shipment.

The hinged roof section if desired, may be shipped in other then thehorizontal position. For example it may be completely lowered until theframe members 46 or other part of the hinged portion comes to rest onthe fixed portion. Alternatively, the stop block 62 may be positionedrelative to the cross-piece 60 to limit rotation of the hinged sectionto any desired amount. The hinged rafter elements 28b are in the planeof the truss members 28a, 30 and 26. The struts 36 lie adjacent theplane of the truss so as to be rotatable without interference with thetruss frame. Preferably the struts 36 are slidably engaged with thesides of the truss frames so that the cooperative engagement provides aguiding restraint on the hinged roof section.

The permanent attachment of the vertical struts 36 as part of the hingedrafter assembly is important. The abutting faces 28c of the rafters 28band the lower truss members although accurately chamfered can not berelied upon to achieve a true linear alignment of the roof sections.Slight deviations in alignment will be readily detected by the eye anddetract from the appearance of the structure. Accordingly the verticalstruts 36 together with fixed pivots 38 and the removable anchoring pins40 make it possible to precisely set the alignment at the factory and toassure exact realignment on the erection site. The lower ends of thestruts 36 may be fastened by means other than the pins 40. In fact formost applications it will normally be more 61(- pedient and equallysatisfactory merely to nail the struts to the frame chords 26 when theunit is being finally erected. The lower ends of the struts 36 will beaccurately positioned by the blocks 42 and 44 and the attachmentcompleted when the struts have been properly seated.

The struts 36 may be provided as only a single strut for each trussframe. In such arrangement the struts of adjacent truss sectionspreferably are alternately on opposite sides of the frames so that whenconnected by cross-member 60 they will be guided by the truss frames asseen in FIG. 5 which shows strut members 36 alternately on oppositesides of the truss frames.

The extent of interior wall and ceiling finishing completed at the plantprior to shipment of the modular units may vary according to particularcircumstances. For example it is customary to have the interior coveringapplied to the side-walls of the modules. it may also be desired toapply ceiling covering to the bottoms of the truss frames at the plant.in such event provision is advantageously incorporated to prevent theends of the struts 36 from striking the ceiling panels or breakingthrough them. This may be accomplished by guide strips such as shown at43 in FIG. 7 which are fastened on the sides of the truss chords 26. Thestrip 43 are arranged to extend from the blocks 42 toward the center ofthe truss span so as to slidably receive the lower ends of the strutsand prevent them from extending below the guide strips. The struts,however, are free to move laterally to accommodate rotation of thehinged roof section.

it will be apparent from the foregoing description of the illustratedembodiments of the invention that there is provided by virtue of thehinged rafters 28b and transverse frame member 55 a unitary framestructure that is rotatable about said hinge fixtures. Although theunitary framework referred to includes the transverse piece 55 acting tosecure the ends of the rafter 28b it will be understood that thesheathing 46 itself serves to interconnect the raflers 28b to formtherewith a unitary structure. The sheathing of course extends overseveral of the rafters each of which is fastened at intervals along itslength thereto. The combination of such sheathing and rafters thereforemay be relied upon to provide the unitary roof section without thenecessity of the end piece 55. Of course in the embodiment of F 16. 2the end piece 55 also serves as a support for the peak section 50.Generally the inclusion of the cross member 55 will enhance thestructural rigidity and is preferred. However for the sake of reducingthe required materials to a minimum it will be appreciated that thesheathing and rafters attached thereto effectively form a rotatableframe structure even without the member 55.

The fact that the rotatable and fixed roof sections may be substantiallycompletely sheathed and shingled at the plant is highly important. Theelimination of any interference between the supporting struts 36, thetruss frames and the adjustable roof frame formed by the rafters 28b andthe sheathing 46, is significant in enabling this objective to beaccomplished. The struts are pivoted at their upper ends and have noarcuate displacement that would require their upper ends to extendbeyond the plane of the sheathing. The struts also are disposed betweenand alongside the truss frames thus moving parallel to and withoutobstruction with them. Also the struts may be retracted and the rooflowered without requiring the struts to project below the level of thetruss frames. Additionally the rafters 28b are mounted for rotation inthe planes of the truss frames. The sheathing carried thereonconsequently has no interfering position with the truss frames in anyangular adjustments. in combination the upper adjustable roof section,in substantially completely finished form, may be raised or loweredbetween its upper, coplanar aligned position and any desired lowershipping position without interference or without requiring such roofsection being folded in reverse direction or displaced beyond itsdesired limits of movement in order to accommodate the movement ofinterfering members. Accordingly the present invention affords a highlyadvantageous truss type roof construction having vertical adjustabilityto permit reduction of height for shipment while permitting such roof tobe shipped in substantially finished form.

Various modifications and embodiments may be made without departing fromthe scope of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

lclaim:

l. A roof assembly for a fabricated structure comprising paralled spacedtruss frames extending across the top of said structure, said trussframes each including a lower substantially horizontal chord member andan upper inclined chord member extending from an end of said lower chordmember to a peak, and an oppositely inclined frame member extending fromthe other end of the horizontal chord member to said peak, a sheathed,fixed roof section carried by the inclined chord members of said trussframes on one side of said peak, and terminating in spaced relationthereto, a sheathed moveable roof section adapted in conjunction withsaid sheathed fixed roof section to form a sheathed roof for saidstructure, and an angularly adjustable framework for carrying saidsheathed moveable roof section comprising rafter members coplanar withand hingedly secured at one end to each of said oppositely inclinedframe members at the peaks thereof, adapted to be pivoted upwardly forpositioning in axial alignment with said roof carrying inclined chordmembers, the secured end of said rafter members being adapted to engageflush against said truss frame at said axially aligned position andrestrained by such engagement against further upward adjustment, andsaid sheath on the moveable roof section extending beyond the ends ofsaid rafter member to overlie said first inclined chord member,adjustable vertically extending support members pivotally connected attheir upper ends with said rafter members means for positioning saidsupport members whereby said moveable roof section may be secured inelevated position in coplanar alignment with said fixed roof section andstop means on an inclined truss frame member engagable with said supportmeans when said support means is pivoted away from said positioningmeans so as to support said moveable roof section alternatively in alower position.

2. A roof assembly according to claim 1 wherein said support meanscomprise pivoted strut members each arranged for angular displacement inplanes parallel to said truss frames and adjacent thereto.

3. A roof assembly according to claim 2 wherein transverse frame meansconnect each said strut members whereby said strut members areadjustable in unison.

4. A roof assembly according to claim 3 wherein said strut membersinclude a strut slidably in contact with each truss frame, at least twoof which are disposed on respectively opposite sides of said frameswhereby said strut members coact to guide the angular displacement ofsaid moveable roof section.

5. A roof assembly according to claim 2 wherein a pair of pivoted strutmembers straddles each of said truss frames.

6. A roof assembly according to claim 2 wherein stop means areengageable with said strut members to limit the displacement thereofcorresponding to a predetermined angular adjustment of said moveableroof section.

1. A roof assembly for a fabricated structure comprising paralled spacedtruss frames extending across the top of said structure, said trussframes each including a lower substantially horizontal chord member andan upper inclined chord member extending from an end of said lower chordmember to a peak, and an oppositely inclined frame member extending fromthe other end of the horizontal chord member to said peak, a sheathed,fixed roof section carried by the inclined chord members of said trussframes on one side of said peak, and terminating in spaced relationthereto, a sheathed moveable roof section adapted in conjunction withsaid sheathed fixed roof section to form a sheathed roof for saidstructure, and an angularly adjustable framework for carrying saidsheathed moveable roof section comprising rafter members coplanar withand hingedly secured at one end to each of said oppositely inclinedframe members at the peaks thereof, adapted to be pivoted upwardly forpositioning in axial alignment with said roof carrying inclined chordmembers, the secured end of said rafter members being adapted to engageflush against said truss frame at said axially aligned position andrestrained by such engagement against further upward adjustment, andsaid sheath on the moveable roof section extending beyond the ends ofsaid rafter member to overlie said first inclined chord member,adjustable vertically extending support members pivotally connected attheir upper ends with said rafter members means for positioning saidsupport members whereby said moveable roof section may be secured inelevated position in coplanar alignment with said fixed roof section andstop means on an inclined truss frame member engagable with said supportmeans when said support means is pivoted away from said positioningmeans so as to support said moveable roof section alternatively in alower position.
 2. A roof assembly according to claim 1 wherein saidsupport means comprise pivoted strut members each arranged for angulardisplacement in planes parallel to said truss frames and adjacentthereto.
 3. A roof assembly according to claim 2 wherein transverseframe means connect each said strut members whereby said strut membersare adjustable in unison.
 4. A roof assembly according to claim 3wherein said strut members include a strut slidably in contact with eachtruss frame, at least two of which are disposed on respectively oppositesides of said frames whereby said strut members coact to guide theangular displacement of said moveable roof section.
 5. A roof assemblyaccording to claim 2 wherein a pair of pivoted strut members straddleseach of said truss frames.
 6. A roof aSsembly according to claim 2wherein stop means are engageable with said strut members to limit thedisplacement thereof corresponding to a predetermined angular adjustmentof said moveable roof section.